Securing device



R. M. SMALL.

SECURING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.17.1919.

Patented. Dec. 14, 192;

Que Mag V UNITED STATES ROBERT M. SMALL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SECURING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14., 1920.

Application filed December 17, 1919. Serial No. 345,480.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ROBERT M. SMALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Securing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to securing devices, and has particular reference to an improved paper fastener, the object thereof being to provide a paper fastener which may be economically constructed and wherein improved features of formation are provided for the purpose of securely relating the fastener with objects to be bound or held together.

The invention consists essentially in the provision of a metallic paper fastener wherein is embodied a base portion composed substantially of duplicate sections which are arranged to be folded so as to lie in contiguous and parallel relation and between which sections a binding member is adapted to be positioned, means of a novel character being provided in conjunction with said sections to retain the latter in secured relation with said binding member, and in the provision of pliable arms integrally carried by said sections and so disposed as to retain papers or other separable objects in secured relation with said binding member.

Another object of the invention resides in providing at least one of said sections with a plurality of up-standing prongs, which are so disposed as to be capable of penetrating said binding member and to be positioned in contiguous relation with the other cooperative section of the base portion of the fastener, whereby said prongs may be suitably clenched and folded down upon said latter section to retain the fastener as a whole in a firmly clamped manner upon the binding member.

A further object of the invention resides in forming the line of jointure between the sections of the base portion, so that said line will correspond to one or more of the marginal edges of the binding member, whereby the pliable fastening arms of the sections may be positioned to the best advantage in order that convenience may be attained in connecting sheets of paper with the binding member. Other objects of the invention reside in a fastener of this type which may be stamped from a single blank of sheet metal,

and in this manner when produced in large quantltles may be marketed at a comparatively low expense; in simplifying the construction of fasteners of this nature generally so that ease and convenience may be attained in adapting the same to folders, files or other backings, and in generally constructing a fastener so that the same may be readily adapted to backings of different structural characteristics.

For a further understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference denote like and corresponding parts. In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fastener comprising the preferred form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan viewshowing the application of the fastener to a backing member.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View taken along the plane disclosed by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a slightly modified form of fastener.

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the form of fastener shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a still further modified form of fastener.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the form of fastener disclosed in Fig. 6, and illustrating its application.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a still further modified form of fastener.

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing the application of the form of fastener disclosed in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 as a detailed perspective view of another modified form of the invention, and,

Fig. 11 is a plan view disclosing the application of the form of fastener set forth in Fig. 10.

In the form of the fastener shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the same consists of a body or base portion 1, which is stamped from a single piece of flexible sheet metal. In this instance the body portion 1 is of elongated form, and is therefore capable of being centrally bent, as at 2 to provide duplicate sections 3 and 4. In this instance the base'section 3 is provided with struck-out prongs 5, which are so disposed as to be capable of penetrating a backing member 6 which is positioned, as shown in. Fig. 3, between the overlapping struction eliminates the loss of adjustment and position now commonly found in fasteners which rely wholly or partly upon friction to retain the same in position. Also, the line of jointure 2 between the sections is such as to lie parallel with the marginal portion 8 of the backing member, thus insuring a proper positioning of the fastener when in its applied position. The free ends of the sections 3 and 1 are provided with integral pliable arms 9, which have their ends suitably pointed as at 10 for the purpose of penetrating either the backing member or the sheets of paper 11 or other separable objects carried thereby. These arms areof such length as to be capable of passing through a relatively greater number of papers or other like objects, and further may be turned down in the manner shown in Fig. 3 so as to securely connect said papers in conjunction with the backing member. Of course it is not essential that a backing member be employed in connection with the fastener under discussion as it is obvious that said fastener may be usually employed without involving any such. element. In this form of the invention, one of the essential features is the provision of the prongs 5 and their positions and relation with respect to the slots 7, the construction affording a very desirable and positive method for securely mounting the fastener in an opera- .5, tive position.

in Figs. 4 and 5, the fastener 12 is very similar to that described in the preferred form, the principles, however, in both forms being substantially identical. However, the fastener 12 comprises a pair of base and supplemental sections 13 and 14 respectively, and a connecting strip 15 of relatively narrow width is employed to flexibly unite said sections and to permit the same to be bent around a backing member 16. When certain materials are used, it has been found difiicult to bend the fastener when it is constructed in the manner disclosed in Fig. 1, however, through. the provision of the narrow strip 15, it will be manifest that such flexing of thefastener may be easily accomplished without inconvenience on the part of. the user. Likewise, the fastener 12 is provided'with pliable prongs 17 which are arran ed to penetrate the backing member 16. I iowever, the prongs 17 are provided upon the edges of the base section 13, and are so arranged that they may be clenched downwardly upon the marginal edges of the supplemental section when the fastener has been bent to assume its final form. This construction results in securely holding the fastener in its applied position upon the backing member and eliminates the necessity of sliding the supplemental section, as is done in the preferred form. The sections 13 and 14 are also formed with the paper retaining arms 18 which are identical in construction and operation to the arms 9 of the preferred form.

In the form of the invention developed in Figs. 6 and 7, the base section 20 is provided with inwardly extending recesses 21, which terminate in upwardly projecting prongs 22. These prongs are arranged for cooperation with a supplemental section 23, which is of such width as to be received between the prongs 22. In this form of the invention the principles contained in the form suggested in Figs. 4: and 5 are carried out. That is by narrowing the section 23 with respect to the base section 20, the former may be conveniently bent without the exercise of any undue pressure, and also by reducing the width of the section 23, the

latter may be conveniently brought into engagement with the pliable ends of the prongs22, so that the secured retention of this form of fastener in connection with the binding member 24 may be readily carried out.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 8 and 9, the joining edge 25 between the base and supplemental sections 26 and 27 respectively is formed on an angle with respect to the free edges 28 and 29 of said sections. As shown in Fig. 9, this enables the fastener to be angularly applied to the binding member 30, and by its construction enables the binding arms or fingers 31 of the sections to be properly and conveniently located. The edge 28 is formed with the usual prongs 32, which may be passed through the binding member and then turned down upon the edge 29 of the supplemental section, thus securely locking said sections together in the manner developed in the aforesaid forms of the invention.

In FigsflO and 11 a further modification of the invention has been developed. In this form the fastener 33 is, as common to the other forms, stamped out of a single piece of metal, and embodies a base section 34 but includes a plurality of supplemental sections 35. All of these sections, however, are equipped with pliable arms 36 which may be so positioned as to penetrate a binding member 37 for the purpose of securing the fastener 33 in conjunction with said binding member and also to unite sheets of paper or other objects in connection therewith. This form of fastener 33 is particularly constructed so as to fit upon the corner edges of the binding member. In the other forms the fasteners are limited to but one edge of a binding member, but in the latter form it is obvious that advantage has been taken ofa pair of such edges. This enables the arms 36 to be located relatively near the corner of a folder or the like, and may be advantageously used where such a one-sided position of the fastener is desirable.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be apparent that the present invention contemplates the provision of a paper fastener which may be quickly and conveniently applied to a binder member and furthermore is capable of being positively locked in connection with the latter, so that undue slipping on the part of the fastener will be prevented. Further, the fastener is so constructed that its parts may be conveniently bent so as to assume their operative positions, so that its various sections may be firmly held together. In View of its one piece construction, the fastener may be manufactured at a relatively low expense or may be produced from scrap pieces of material. The construction is very simple and its manner of attachment may be clearly understood by the average person.

I claim:

1. A paper fastener formed from a single blank of sheet metal, comprising abase portion formed from a pair of duplicate foldable sections between which a backing member is adapted to be positioned, prongs carried by at least one of said sections and arranged to penetrate said backing member so as to be capable of being clenched into engagement with the other of said sections, and a pliable securing arm carried by one of said sections.

2. A sheet metal paper fastener comprising a base section, a supplemental section integrally formed with said base section, said sections being foldable so as to lie in parallelism and to receive therebetween a backing member, prongs formed with said base section and capable of penetrating said backing member so as to be clenched into holding engagement with said supplemental section, and pliable retaining arms formed upon the free ends of said sections and operating to maintain objects in secured yet detachable engagement with said fastener.

8. A paper fastener formed from a blank of sheet metal, comprising a base portion composed of duplicate sections, the edge uniting said sections being formed to engage With the cooperative edge of a backing member upon which the fastener is carried, integral prongs carried by at least one of said sections and arranged to pass through openings formed in the other section, whereby upon the clenching of said prongs, said sections will be firmly locked in a positive manner to said backing member, and pliable retaining arms integrally formed with the free ends of said sections.

4. A paper fastener formed from a single blank of sheet metal, comprising a base portion, prongs struck outwardly from said base portion and capable of being clenched into engagement with a backing member, and a plurality of pliable arms integrally formed with the ends of said base portion and capable of penetrating and retaining objects in connection with said backing member.

5. A paper fastener formed from a single blank of sheet metal, comprising a base section, a supplemental section integrally formed with said base section, said sections being foldable so as to lie in parallelism and to receive between them a backing member, prongs formed with said base section and capable of penetrating said member and to be bent inwardly upon said supplemental section without penetrating the latter, and pliable retaining arms carried by the ends of said sections.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

ROBERT M. SMALL. 

